Is this the best 5.1 setup for ~$1000?

[j_garcia]

I wouldn't say that is esoteric at all; it's fact While it isn't always practical, and by no means is it the norm, it is easily achived at most price points.

 

[markw]

It's nice if they are all identical but it's usually not practical and most people are never going to notice the difference as long as it's the same brand and series. We're getting esoteric and endanger of having another well meaning new member throw up his hands in frustration.

No doubt, but going for the smallest possible surrounds is fine for HT but for music, not always the best idea. Music puts more of a demand on them than HT. Dunno about games, though.

I just chimed in because music is more important to me than HT. Any system that does well with music will do well with HT. The opposite is not always the case, as a look through some past posts will verify.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

It's nice if they are all identical but it's usually not practical and most people are never going to notice the difference as long as it's the same brand and series. We're getting esoteric and endanger of having another well meaning new member throw up his hands in frustration.

I have to agree with you.

Theory is one thing.

And if possible, going with 5 identical speakers is the way to go.

But it will be JUST FINE too if we don't do 5 identical speakers and if the driver sizes are not identical.

 

[ptsawyer]

Thanks so much to everyone. I have learned more from these forums that from anywhere (reading internet articles, talking to HT experts at stores, etc).

I keep going back to wanting the 363 towers in the front, because true 2.0 stereo music quality is important to me. I have never owned a quality sub, (going with the BIC PL-200), so I will expirement with 2.0 vs 2.1 music, but I am somewhat of a purist in that stereo music is mixed at 2.0, so it should be listened at 2.0.

I am very curious about multi-channel music in general. I have no doubt that the sound staging it creates is incredible. However, I have a feeling that it will end up being a novelty, more of a "look what my cool system can do" than somethign I actually use on a regular basis.

One thought though, I do plan on eventually accumlating a collection of live music / concerts on Blu Ray (more fun to put in at a party than movies). Would that influence your choice on the surrounds?

 

[markw]

I believe in listening to music in the format it was recorded in. If it's recorded in two channel, as most is, I find it "better" to listen to it in pure two channel with no added effects.

If it's recorded in a multi-channel format, as some dvd's (and SACD, if that's even still around) are, then I use it's native (multi-channel) format.

Depending on how they are mixed would have bearing on the surrounds. If it's just room ambiance, then small surrounds will do fine. If it's mixed to draw attention to the surround channels (Pink Floyd, anyone?) then a bit bigger might help.

Given my druthers, for surrounds I wouldn't necessarily go for floor-standers but if they offer a choice of matching surrounds, I'd not go for the smallest one they offer.

Now, AV receivers offer many opportunities to try to get a semblance of multi-channel sounds from a two channel source and some people love these. You've got a plethora of digital processing options available to play with and see which one, if any, floats your boat.

Personally, my music is always in two channels, aside from the times we have a party and want "music" from all speakers, in which case I'll use an "all channel stereo" mode.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks so much to everyone. I have learned more from these forums that from anywhere (reading internet articles, talking to HT experts at stores, etc).

I keep going back to wanting the 363 towers in the front, because true 2.0 stereo music quality is important to me. I have never owned a quality sub, (going with the BIC PL-200), so I will expirement with 2.0 vs 2.1 music, but I am somewhat of a purist in that stereo music is mixed at 2.0, so it should be listened at 2.0.

I am very curious about multi-channel music in general. I have no doubt that the sound staging it creates is incredible. However, I have a feeling that it will end up being a novelty, more of a "look what my cool system can do" than somethign I actually use on a regular basis.

One thought though, I do plan on eventually accumlating a collection of live music / concerts on Blu Ray (more fun to put in at a party than movies). Would that influence your choice on the surrounds?

I listen to music in 2.1 on my Revel Salon2s and Linkwitz Orion towers.

 

[j_garcia]

I listen to music in 2.1 simply because the system has to perform dual duty - I listen to everything on it and I have no complaints about how it sounds. I can set my mains to full and do without the sub and occasionally I do. If I were building a system for music only though, it would almost certainly be 2.0 with solid performing towers.

Multichannel music is loads of fun, but it is also kind of a losing proposition at this point. Blu-ray audio doesn't seem to be getting much of a push to the consumer and SACD and DVD-A are still kicking but in the process of dying. I'd say that 90% of my music listening is stereo.